Hearts: Scottish Cup success at Easter Road, that Karipidis pass and Csaba Laszlo's pivotal Tynecastle role

January is always a great time in Scottish football. Not for the hectic fixture list which can often occur or the transfer window which excites some fans as much as the fare on the field.

Christos Karipidis played a key role in the 2-0 win at Hibs. Picture: SNS

The reason January is such a momentous month is the Scottish Cup. It is – usually – the month where the ‘big’ teams enter the competition and the chance to be paired with clubs from the lower echelons of Scottish football.

In this fragmented and shifted edition of the tournament the preliminary rounds began before the final of the 2020 version had been played – let’s not bring up how that concluded – and the first round was played on Boxing Day.

It threw up plenty of early stories, notably Haddington Athletic of the East of Scotland First Division Conference A (seventh tier) defeating (fifth tier) BSC Glasgow at the Indodrill Stadium to reach the First Round, while Tranent Juniors took the lead against East Fife in the second round having already dispatched East Stirlingshire.

Scottish Cup wait

Owing to their Championship status, Hearts were due to enter at the second round, the tie scheduled for last weekend, while the third round with the 12 Premiership clubs was due to be played at the end of the month.

As things stand, the club and their supporters have no idea when they will be competing in the cup.

The concoction of freezing temperatures and a gripping pandemic has halted the tournament. It was only on Monday, that Hearts finally learned they would be playing Brora Rangers after the Highland League side defeated Camelon in what was the seventh attempt to play the fixture.

Csaba Laszlo was a key appointment as Hearts boss. Picture: SNS

A home tie with Stranraer awaits. But with the Scottish Cup postponed until the end of January at the earliest all fans can do is reminisce about previous matches played around this time.

Hearts reminded fans of one of the more memorable January encounters earlier this week. A meeting at Easter Road 11 years ago.

The 2008/09 season was an understated but pivotal one for Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

Hearts appoint a manager

Gary Glen secured the win with a stoppage-time goal. Picture: SNS

The previous campaign resulted in an eighth place finish – two years on from splitting the Old Firm – and the ignominy of a defeat to relegated Gretna on the last day of the season in front of an emotionless Main Stand at Fir Park. The frenzied optimism of the possibilities under Vladimir Romanov and Champions League (qualifying) football had dissipated. In its stead stood a potent mix of apathy and anger.

It was apparent the club required a manager who was not seen as having strings attached and being controlled by Vladimir Romanov.

Mark McGhee, then at Motherwell, was a key target but ultimately the man to take up the helm was Csaba Laszlo.

Some could have viewed him as another Romanov lackey. A foreign boss who was largely unknown and had been managing Uganda. Of course, he was the man booted by John Robertson when Hearts met Ferencváros in the 2004 Uefa Cup.

The opening day 3-2 win over Motherwell was an outlier for that season. It was one of only four times the team would score three (never more) that campaign. Bruno Aguiar top scored with seven and of the top seven in the league, Hearts scored the fewest. But the Tynecastle side finished third, aided by a steely defence.

It wasn’t a vintage season but it highlighted how much of an impact a manager can have on a team – who would have thought it?

Laszlo had Hearts well drilled, as was shown in the games against the Old Firm. In eight meetings, the team won one and drew four.

Cup derby

But perhaps the high point arrived in the Scottish Cup fourth round against Hibs at Easter Road. The first meeting in the tournament since the 2006 semi-final.

Come the Sunday showdown in Leith, five points separated the sides, Hearts in fourth and Hibs in sixth.

Far from surprising during that period, the game wasn’t a classic but it had its key moments. The first two involving Steven Fletcher.

The striker would go on to join Burnley for £2.75million at the end of the season but on that January afternoon at Easter Road he literally put his stamp on the game. Having been foiled by Janos Balogh early on, Fletcher was late to the party with a challenge on Christophe Berra. There was nothing fashionable about it and he was shown a red card by Craig Thomson – the man who would be in the middle for the 2012 Scottish Cup final.

Naturally, it swung the game in Hearts’ favour. Seven minutes after one striker was despondent another was delirious. Christian Nade prodded home an Andy Driver cross. He was aided by the most ill-advised of walks – by Hibs goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay – these shores have seen since ‘Ali’, the 'star’ of the popular video who gets lambasted by a friend for getting hit by a bus.

The Greek ace

The move for the goal started with Christos Karipidis latching on to a loose ball and moving it on.

The underrated Greek defender-cum-midfielder would later deliver the coup de grâce, or at least provide the weapon for Gary Glen to do the honours. Getting the ball just inside the Hibs half he ambled forward, scanned the field, did some calculations Will Hunting would have been proud of before dissecting the defence with a pass which should be studied in football academies the world over and hung in art galleries from Paris to New York.

Glen latched on to it, rounded Grzegorz Szamotulski – on for Ma-Kalambay – and completed the 2-0 win.

Between the goals the action was sparse but that, more than anything, summarised Laszlo’s time at Tynecastle.

It was his only victory over Hibs but the future Lithuania and Dundee United manager’s role was bigger. He gave the team direction on the field and a memorable derby win was an added bonus.

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